Pumps' Perplexities

The "flip-flop" or changing your mind is a common thing
in today's American politics.....Since someone, who is
running for an elected office, will always say what his/her
audience wants to hear.......Of course the news media
is on the alert for any change in "verbiage" and will
report it as soon as it happens.......

Classic was John F. Kerry's, "I was for the war, before I
was against it."......A notable quotation for history it now
appears......

The latest funny little "flip-flop" has now come from
Hillary Clinton.......She is no longer Rodham.......She was
Hillary Rodham when Bill ran for office......She was Hillary
Rodham during her race for a New York State Senate seat
and she was Hillary Rodham during the early "maneuvering"
for 2008.......

But no more......From now until the 2008 Presidential
Election, she wants to be known as Hillary Clinton.......
Maybe now we can now call her "Billy's Babe"........Pumps

It seems that Chaves and his Venezuelan "Citco" is not the
only oil company operating in that country.......There are
other American, British, French and Norwegian companies
there.......

A news report says that on May 1st, next Tuesday, Chaves
will request at least 60% of the money produced by these
other companies.......One fact of note, is that these other
companies are getting tired of his "corporate antics" and just
may pull their assets out of Venezuela for good.......

Since Chaves' expertise is in dictatorship and not oil production,
I suspect the price of gasoline will be affected by whatever
happens in that Latin country on Tuesday......Pumps

Not speaking Italian, I never did really know how to
pronounce Paste e Fagioli properly, even living in
New York City........To us Polish folks it was just
"Pasta Fazool".......

The Mexicans may have their "rice and beans", along
with a few other cultures in the world, but the
Italians have Pasta Fazool.......Pasta and Beans.........
As with other cultures, the cheapest plate of food "one"
can put in their stomachs and be "full" after eating
it.......All protein and carbohydrate.......There is a little
fat in the dish.....It comes from that little piece of bacon
which is put into the pot at the beginning of the recipe......

It is a shame......You can go to an Italian restaurant and
order anything but "Pasta e Fagioli".......The fast food
of the Italians today is pizza or spaghetti......

This little plate of pasta and beans is "riding off into the
dust".......Pumps

What has happened to the "lower income" supermarket
chain, known as Kroger.......Yep, I remember this small
Ohio "chain" back in the '50s, but they have expanded
since then and now, it seems, want to establish
themselves as a member of the "elite" supermarket
club.......

Their stock is doing good, their quarter profit returns
are up and all as a result of raising their prices......Yep
again, small "chain" trying to go "big time".......

Their stocked aisles and meat counters do not contain
products better than their other "lower income"
supermarket competitors, but yet, "Let's goose the
price up a little"..........In the end I think the
increases in price will catch up with them........They
can not sell a frozen item for $3.29 a package when
their competitor (not Walmart) can sell it for $1.99......

Us people in the "public" ain't that stupid......Pumps

For me to watch the movie Marty is like taking a time machine
back into history......The movie of a Bronx, New York butcher
finding love, was filmed in MY section of the Bronx......Streets,
buses, elevated subway trains and the exterior of the RKO
Chester movie theater do bring back memories......

Between the dialog and window signs, we find out that 4 cut
pork chops cost $1.79........Rib steak was 74 cents a pound and
54 cents got you a pound of stew beef........What the movie does
not tell you that the average person was making anywhere from
65 cents to one dollar an hour back in 1955.......

When you come to think about it, both back then and today, you
have to work one hour for a pound of good steak......(It's $9 to $14
today)........

Financially the struggle was the same......The only thing different
was the general outlook of society........There was not Political
Correctness (Stupid Polish and Italian jokes abound) and no one
seemed to have a "chip" on his shoulder........You did not have
time to develope one, you were too busy working.....

Even as a better comparison, ten years earlier in 1945 a loaf of
bread was 5 cents and cabbage was a penny a pound......Can you
imagine the complains about "inflation" in the '50s?.......Pumps

Here is another "one" on how politicians are beginning to
become the "biggest joke"......Every day they are losing more
and more respect of their own constituents (not those who
are making money from their support) and the American
public in general.......I do not care if they are Democrats or
Republican......They are just protecting their own "asses",
retirement and Congressional medical plans.......

There are thousand of loyal American men and woman
currently fighting in Iraq......Whether they should be there
or not, is not a subject of this blog.......What is the subject,
is which of our politicians wants to go down in history as
the "one which did not pay for the last bullet" used either in
victory or retreat?.......

I guess political leadership, of any sort in any political party,
has been lost in fancy Washington DC dinners and lobbiest
gatherings, with all palms facing upward......Pumps

Short and sweet......Jim Webb, Senator D-Va, is nothing
more than a big mound of hollow rhetoric......

Approach him today and ask him about "gun control",
in light of the recent events at Virginia Tech and his
assistant getting caught carrying HIS gun in The Capitol
building, and he will "run for the hills"......

And just think, we have another 5-1/2 years of hearing
that he is the greatest "thing" to hit modern US politics
since "sliced bread".....What a joke.....Pumps

It looks line the Dow Jones Industrial Average will top 13,000
soon....Showing that business is doing well in the United States....

This little guy in Jabunyaville, has some thoughts on the subject...
Recently one political party became the majority (+) and
the other party the minority (-)......However neither party
has "control".......Thus if you have (+) and (-) your result
is "neutral" (0).........

This "neutral" situation is going to last until January 2009
when the national election "may" change it......But until then
Big Business in the United States have no fear or any taxes
or legislation effecting their profits......So why not make money?....

And if you have been out shopping lately, you may have
noticed that prices have risen........Make it while you can......
Pumps

This has been a rough week in Virginia.......Mass Murder At
Virginia Tech, etc.......

It seems that the 24/7 media will have to find something new
to talk about this forthcoming week.....Thus my fear.....What is
next?......First it was Anna Nicole, then Imus and finally "Tech"....

The TV ratings season will be upon us for the month of May......
"Sweeps" will start the last few days in April.......I just hope
nothing "really bad" happens, because we will get twice or three
times as much "hype" on any given event just so the TV
advertising rates can go up in September.........

Please let it be a quiet next few weeks.......Let "American Idol"
and "Sponge Bob Square Pants" ratings be the only thing that
will occupy our minds......Enough of the political and social
crap......Pumps

In the aftermath of the shootings at Virginia Tech this past
week, it is now common knowledge that Mr. Cho Seung-Hui
was a sick man, with mental issues, since his arrival in the
United States at the age of eight......

This is a simple question that no one seems to have approached
yet.......He has been in grammar school, high school and was
in his 4th year of college, why in hell did no one in the school
system care that this kid was "sick"?........

In my day, "sick" or not, you were grabbed by the ear and
taken to the principal's office if you did not "speak when spoken
to".......Poor Cho is a result of the lack of caring not political
correctness.....Or have these two aspects of modern life now
become "as one"?.........Pumps

When you are a child, it is quite common to "pick" on a
sibling or a "friend"......It is the part of growing up and
in the final analysis is a life "learning experience"......

It is now appearing that this "childish" experience is
becoming a major part of adult life......"Picky" is being
exhibited in everything from major politics to a "blog"
misspelling of a word......."Picky - picky - picky"......

The adult "picky" reason seems the be the same as the
childhood "picky" reason........That being, one person
trying to tell another person that, "I am better than
you.".........

Write a two thousand word essay on "anything",
misspell or misuse one or two words, and you will
find someone saying, "If you were so smart as you
thing you are, you would have spelt ------ correctly."
Read any "blog" or "message board" and this point
is a proven fact.......

While none of us are perfect, our "ego" tells us that we
are......Result is that we are still perfect it is only our
"ego" that is "picky"........LOL......Pumps

OK, here we go.....The day will soon be upon us when one
scientific faction will be in odds with another scientific
faction.......Where have the honey bees gone?.......

The TV media has been reporting on the subject of the
missing bees.....But no one has yet stepped forward to
say where they have gone......All the TV people say is
that it is a problem because bees are needed to pollinate
plants, which produce food......No bees, no food.........

Well if the "global warming" people have not brought
the subject up, the "cell telephone" people have........

A British paper is reporting that due to cell telephone
magnetic waves the bees are losing their ability to
hone and navigate back to their hives......If they can
not find their hive, then they die "out there somewhere"..

So the next time you use your cell telephone remember
that you are, in the eyes of some, killing a bee which will
result in no cross pollination and possible starvation.....

If you flip the coin, will this mean that microwaves will
rid the planet of "killer bees"?......Pumps

I sincerely doubt that any of the people, who are exponents
of living green could actually live that way.....The way their
grandparents lived back in the 20's-30's and 40's.....Yes,
people lived green back then......

For instance, if you lived in an apartment you had a fuse box
which supplied 30amps to your 3 or 4 rooms......There was
ONE ceiling fixture in each room that only held ONE bulb.....
There was only ONE, dual, electric outlet in each room (for
ONE floor/table lamp and radio)......All clocks were wound by
hand - not electric.......If you had a home you had 60amps....
Today's electrical code starts at 200amps......

There were NO TVs, NO microwaves, NO electric ranges and
NO hair dryers......Soda was bought at a store dispensing
fountain or in a small, returnable, refillable, DEPOSIT bottle.....
NO food or drink came in a plastic container......Bread was
baked at home or bought at a bakery.......Meat came from a
butcher, milk-eggs-cheese from a dairy store......

Clothes were air dried on a clothes line......NO electric dryers.....
Your milk bottle was recycled and refilled.....NOT every one
had a car, or two.....Plastic shopping bags DID NOT exist.......
If you wanted air conditioning, on a hot day, you went to
a movie theater........You used 18 cent, low grade, gasoline
to clean your tools.....You knew how to fully disassemble
and repair a Bendix bicycle brake at the age of 10, or if you
were a girl you could start a gas oven and bake a cake....

So, as it is said today, in today's parlance, any grandma or
grandpa has, "Been there and done that".......That is why
"living green" is really only rhetoric for a modern and,
some say, spoiled generation........They do not even have
the "chutzpah" to try to live that way......Pumps

Once again there has been a incident in the United States
that makes the front page of every newspaper in the world....
Once again there are people and "talking heads" complaining
about what went wrong......And, once again everyone sees
a problem in America.......

Having lived some 70 years now, I can honestly say that
I believe that the people who are complaining about the
problems in America are the ones that have caused the
problems in the first place......

I am not a "boomer" or a member of the "Woodstock
Generation"........I was too busy working for a living and
supporting a family and grew up with the work
"responsibility" tattooed somewhere in my brain.......

It seems that the "boomers" did not like the way thing
were going and so they changed it.......Every time there
is a problem they want to change it again.......And with
each change the words "responsibility" - "loyalty" -
"honor" - "respect" and "common sense" just seem to
disappear from the vocabulary......

What word will the "boomers" get rid of now?.....Pumps

Our children and grandchildren are being taught today
that the "little" polar bears, which are distant relatives
to their "teddy" bears are in danger due to global
warming.....

While the teach of these children will not bring the
subject up, one Mr. W. Homer Ballard Jr. has.....

He has posed the question....."How did the polar bears
manage to survive during the last warming period of
the earth, between 800AD to 1300AD?".....

I guess that since a young mind can not even phantom
the year 800AD, they can indeed be convinced that a
"fuzzy-wuzzy" bear can die because of their mother's
SUV.......Pumps

When I went to "the little red schoolhouse" we were taught
by "rote".....You read "Dick and Jane" until you dropped
and wanted to kill "Spot"......But that was the method of
teaching, back then......

During the last 30 years or so the "educators" have come
to the conclusion that this is not the proper method of
teaching......A student should learn by "thinking" not by
"rote or routine"........2 + 2 can equal 5 if the "thought
process" is proper......The other new path of learning
has become the computer.......

No where is it mentioned today by any "educator" that
a computer function is learned by "rote"......Doing the
same thing over and over again, building up speed of
the function at the same time......Just like learning how
to type......

"See Spot run" is nothing more than "Ctr Alt Del".....Pumps

It is that time of the year when the real estate tax bills are
sent out, here in Jabunyaville......This year the assessments
on property were raised almost 20% and as expected the
complaints of the home owners followed.......

So our local government has decided to reduce the tax
rate/per one thousand dollars......From $1.04 to $0.97....
And so, a few days ago the story was all over the local TV
and in the local newspapers of the savings.......NOT.......

If you have no faith in your Federal Government, I suggest
you have less faith in your Local one.......It so happens that
if you own a $300,000 house you received a savings of
$10.00 per year in RE taxes........If you own a home worth
$150,000 (1/2 of the big one) your taxes INCREASED
$65.00.......

The Local officials are aware that very few people know what
their real estate taxes are because the amount is buried in
the mortgage payment (escrow)........The younger, affluent,
crowd will be happy that their mortgage payment did not
increase and that the Local gov came through and listened
to their complaints.......

The poor and elderly, who have no voice, got screwed again....
Pumps

I suspect one of my "avid" readers will enjoy this little
story......

There is an island in the middle of the East River in
New York City.....It is between the borough of Manhattan
and Queens.....The Queensboro Bridge goes over it and
there is a "ski-type" tram that goes to it......

First know as Blackwell's Island in the olde days, it then
became known as Welfare's Island because of its hospitals
and other "mental" facilities.......Now it is know as
Roosevelt Island, prime real estate being what it is in
New York City......Enough history.......

It seems that a company has put some water turbines
in the East River in an attempt to provide an alternate
electrical power source to the island......Each turbine
costs $1,160,000.00.....There are 7 in all.......

The power of one turbine is supplying electricity to
"""""one grocery store and one garage"""""........

And to us few olde natives of the area, let it be known
that "Old Alice" keeps on plugging along......Old Alice
is a three stack coal fired electric plant, that has
supplied electric power to that sausage shaped piece
of earth in the East River for years....And at a cost
far less $1,160,000.00........Pumps

I remember the good olde days when you could fix your
own automobile......If you had a lot of skill and knowledge
you could fix major things......If had a little skill and
knowledge you could do minor things.......In my day a
"garage" was some place to park a car and maybe buy
some gas or oil.......

Every year, for the ease of driving, style or safety, the
automobile becomes more complicated to fix.....Today,
there are computer "chips" which control this and
that.....All connected to small motors on an electrical
system that can not be repaired cheaply.......

I suspect that soon that a automobile will be so costly
to repair that it will be a disposable item......Some people
today may have already figured this out....Buy a used
car, run it into the ground, junk it, and buy another used
car.......Others now buy a new car, and trade it in before
it needs a spark plug changed.......

Soon the purchase and operation of your automobile
will cost more than your house mortgage if it has
not happened is some places already......Pumps

Having watched TV and read the Internet for the last
13 months here are my personal conclusions on the Duke
Lacrosse Case.....

It was all about the money.......Here is why......
Mike Nifong was on the verge of retirement, having
served many dutiful years in the Durham, NC DA's
office.....His appointment for the position of "the" DA
was soon to expire and he had to "run" for the office
in a primary election, in the Spring of 2006.....If he
won the primary race, he was a "shoe in" for the DA's
job after the November election......(He is a Democrat
and the Republicans never really "ran" for the position.)

Therefore win in the Spring and again in the Fall and
he could retire with "top pay" after all years of government
legal service........

When Gail Mangun, the accuser, mentioned rape, it
resulted in a major case for Nifong to use for his
Spring election campaign.....He did so and he won......
Now sit on the case until the November election, and
he was IN......

Nifong did win also in November, but the "case" was
slowly breaking apart.....The transfer of the DNA findings
to the defense lawyers was the key as to the innocence
of the three players........Nifong backed away from the "case",
turned it over to the NC Attorney General's office in
January and the case was "closed" for lack of any evidence
today........

Now the question is, who much money will three lacrosse
players get of Mr. Mike Nifong's pension - which he "worked
so hard for to get"?.........Pumps

Growing up in the '40s and '50s all my friends and school
mates were healthy and un-fat.......OK maybe I did know
one or two "chunky" kids.....

Back then we were slim because we ran, played in the park,
rode our bicycles.......In High School we had a "Gym Class"....
Here again it was more running, rope climbing and just
good olde fashion exercise........

It's all gone......Now the problem is a bunch of fat kids
who are overweight and protected from the "band-aid" or
the medical "stitch" by some lawyer........Have a child come
home from school with a "boo-boo" and a parent has to
call a lawyer because their little defenseless offspring was
not protected by the school system......

Ever see a fat lawyer on TV........No.......They are too busy
having too much fun playing golf or tennis with the money
they won from a School Board because of a pebble in a
playground.......Pumps

Have you ever seen some of these web sites.....The first
thing that your eye sees is the word "contribute".....The
second thing is the fact that the people "running" the
site are "there for you" and need "your support"......

Every time I see one of these sites, and there are many, I
picture the homeless person sitting by the side of the
road with a cardboard sign.......Both are requesting money
for really doing nothing except for writing the word "help"....

If you look around you, it is amazing to see how many
people are "living off" other people.......They have no
real source of income other than receiving contributions
or donations.......

It seems that the feeding of a simple passerby has evolved
into a big business operation......Pumps

The famous "food police" (blog 3/22/07) have really lost
another one......A few year back they attacked palm oil
for its use on movie popcorn.....Since it tasted good and
smelt good, it was no good for you.......As usual they
commentary got no where......

Well it seems that the Dutch tried to convert this oil
into a bio-fuel.....They converted generators and motors
to use it......Ops, does not work.....Looks like Willie Nelson
is having better luck with his used french fry oil......

A company in Amsterdam announced thay stopped its use
of palm oil......Looks like the guy with a movie date still
has a chance to get "lucky" if he buys that big cup of
smelly, tasty popcorn.......Pumps

For lack of anything else to talk about on a "slow" Friday
afternoon, lets talk about Nancy Pelosi.......

Yep, she has "gone over valley and dale" to become #3 in
the government of the United States......And until November
of 2008 she will be nothing else, unless something happens
to #1 or #2......Doubtful........

Mrs. Pelosi appears to be a person who wants to be noticed....
She got this far in her political career but like other Speakers
of the House I doubt if she will go any further.....Most enjoy
their 15 minutes of fame, she will enjoy her two years, but
in the end the name Polosi will fade away just like the past
'Speakers".......How many can you name?.......Rayburn, Foley,
and that blond haired guy from Missouri......See what I mean...

In a few years she will have a street named after her in
San Francisco....And as always another "Shane" will ride off
into the dust......(At least she has her money in grapes.).....
Pumps

Well my beloved few readers, the first reports are in
regarding the 10% of ethanol which is being added to the
gasoline at your local "pump"......

The addition of this product does not do a thing for the
environment or "global warming" except make a lot of
money for a lot of people......Dah....We knew that was
going to be the "case", did we not.......

It seems that the first report is out of Ottawa, Canada.....
Now since there is beginning to be some "scientific fact"
on this subject......The "subject" is changing.......

Since the "emission" cure can not be proven, scientifically,
the "subject" is that in the "overall production cycle" or
the "whole cycle" has to be taken into consideration......

Meaning the the energy to plant, harvest, process and to
truck ethanol is safer for the planet than not using it......
There is a lot of money in "plant, harvest, process and
trucking".........

As predicted in some past blog, the price of "corn fed" beef
is going up again......(Corn is going to ethanol).....That
night out is going to cost more along with the 10% ethanol
in your gas tank to drive there......Think SPAM......(It
worked once before.)......

PS: Just heard that corn chicken feed is going up in price.....
Chicken and eggs will now cost more.......Pumps

As a child I had a 33-1/3 LP record of Peter and the Wolf,
music by Sergei Prokofiev, which was narrated by Basil
Rathbone (of Sherlock Holmes fame).......

Over the years, I have listed to the music with narrations
by Leonard Bernstein, Sean Connery and currently own a
version by Sir John Gielgud........

None of these later narrations has ever matched the one
of Rathbone's.......It was his voice......Mr. Rathbone had
played many a villainous role in the moves and in so doing
brought "a little fear" to the ears of a young child when
telling the story of Peter.......

Wish I still had that olde scratched up piece of vinyl.....Pumps

For the past 40 years, I fixed things.......Back in the 1960's
when "it" broke, "it" was brought back to the company
that made the "it", and "it" was fixed......Some times
under warranty at no charge and sometimes for a fee.....

Since this little repair service of "it" cost the corporation
making the "it" money, they started to close down the
"it" repairers.......Buy the "it" and fix it yourself.....(Ford
did this with the model T back in the '20--'30s).......

But it seems that everyone can not repair an "it"......So
it is now coming to pass that for a corporation to
continue to make money and grow, it needs an "it" fixer......

You can no longer make a product and say, "when you
buy it - you fix it"........The computer industry has found
this out and has made "Geeks" possible.......Others are
following......

REPAIR MEN RULE..........Pumps

Sydney, Australia has just had its first voluntary blackout
in order to prevent Global Warming......The city of 4 million
people shut the lights off......It must have been fun.....

Back in 1965 New York City went "black" due to a failure
in the power grid further north.......Everybody helped
everybody else and people were happy......

Then in 1977 New York City went "black" again......This
time a lot of people were happy because they stole and
looted from the darkened stores........

As soon as the people in Sydney, Australia figure out that the
lights are going to be out and alarm systems off, for a
designated period of time, the fun and happiness caused
by an effort to help reduce Global Warming will cease....Pumps

If there was ever a "pot at the end of a rainbow" it is this poor
little 6 month old child.......A mass of humanism that has just
reached to age to stop emitting green residue......

At this date in time, this child has no monetary wealth, and if
she had, she is too young to know how to spend it......So others
are trying to help her.......These people who have a "quest" for
a "piece of the financial pie"........

The real question is - "is there a pie"?........I suspect that all
the lawyers involved in the various legal hearing, both in the
United States and the Bahamas, are nothing more than
modern "speculators" trying to dig for gold.......To some of
them is has to be the "mother lode"........

Ms. Debri Opri, representing Larry Birkhead, just billed over
$600,000 for her work, which included air travel and
some Bahamian dinners.......(She even has a lawyer to handle
the bill.)......

Poor Dannielynn, I do hope she can survive the world of
"legal leaches"......Pumps